Investigation: The association that raises funds in the US for convicted Jewish murderers

A special investigation by the “Hashomerim” website and the news agency AP He revealed that an extreme right-wing group in the US is raising tax-free donations for a series of Jewish murderers imprisoned in Israel, mostly for crimes of a political and nationalistic nature. Among the convicted murderers who receive direct support from the association “Shalom Esireich” are the murderer of the late former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, The killer of the baby Ali Dawabsha and his parents Saad Wariham in the attack in Douma in 2015, the killer of the boy Muhammad Abu Khadir in Jerusalem in 2014, and the killer of the girl who shot the late Banki in the Pride Parade in Jerusalem in 2015.

According to the investigation, the association has been raising funds and donations in the US since 2018, however, it has been registered as a non-profit organization since 2020. It is not clear how much money the association has already managed to raise, but its activity is estimated at more than NIS 100,000.

The registration of the association was carried out by the lawyer Hanmal Dorfman, a close associate and right-hand man of the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gabir, and who managed the coalition negotiations on behalf of Otzma Yehudit during the last weeks before the formation of the government. agency AP reported that Dorfman is listed as the association’s legal advisor/lawyer on the website of the American Register of Associations. In response to an inquiry from the Shomarim website, Dorfman replied that he was not the association’s legal advisor, and refused to address further questions.

The association explicitly stated that the money raised goes directly to the imprisoned murderers, among other things for gifts and for the holidays. In October, the association published a tweet on Twitter with a picture of a bottle of wine, snacks and sweets, and wrote: “In honor of the holidays, we distributed a letter of encouragement and some good things to the families of the prisoners of Zion, and to the dear house arrestees. May they all be released this year and that we will be fully redeemed soon.”

In honor of the holidays, we distributed a letter of encouragement and some good things to the families of Zion prisoners,
And to the dear house arresters.
I pray that this year everyone will be freed and that we will have complete redemption soon pic.twitter.com/2omJvJx74E

— Shlom Asiraich (@ShlomAsiraich) October 7, 2022

In November 2018, the association published a letter of thanks written by the family of Amiram Ben Oliel, the murderer of the Devabsha family, which read: “We wanted to thank you for all the help you do for us! The great financial help! The deposits in the canteen! An endless investment. A real rescue.”

The investigation points out that when collecting donations for the association in Israel, it is emphasized that it is a return for tax purposes, and that the person who donates can declare his donation and deduct part of his tax liability. According to the Guardians website, the donation is indirectly subsidized by the American taxpayer, and the extent of the offset, according to the rules of the American income tax, can even reach 100% under certain conditions.”

Various legal officials told the news agency AP Because a tax credit through a donation is a legal, legitimate and acceptable procedure, but legal and moral questions arise when it comes to donating to convicted murderers, including those convicted of acts of terrorism. Ellen April, a donation and tax expert at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said donating to convicted terrorists could be considered criminal activity. Marcus Evans, who ran the Department of Non-Profit Organizations of the US Internal Revenue Service in the 1990s, said that “the US Department of Justice views aid to the families of terrorists as a form of material support for terrorism.”

To read the investigation on the guards’ website. To read the investigation in the AP news agency.